Hello everybody,
I’m looking to optimize fun and enjoyment for a gravel bike. I’ll be going on a 3-4 week bikepacking trip soon on some eurovelo routes (will be packing very light), but this is just due to getting some extended time off work which is pretty uncommon.
For the most part, I want a bike I can be confident taking on the nearby roads which are often really beat up or gravel. Overall usage will probably be 60% road (poor condition) 30% gravel 10% single track. I’ve been riding on an 80s vintage Nishiki road bike frame which has been a lot of fun but I’m tired of the downtube shifters and wrist soreness past ~50 mi.
Although I don’t anticipate doing too much bikepacking after this, the mounts on the Trek seem like an obvious choice. The only problem is that I felt completely uninspired on a test drive. I like what I’ve read about the Lauf, especially people’s enjoyment of riding it but I cannot test it out before buying.
Lauf Seigla Weekend Warrior ~4.5k after taxes
Trek Checkpoint SL 5 AXS ~3.9k after taxes
If there’s a different bike you’d recommend, please let me know. Ideally I’d want:
-Carbon Frame (light!)
-Hydraulic brakes
-Some suspension/ vibration smoothing
-Low gears for climbing
-Fun
-<$4.5k usd
-Don’t really care about wireless shifting
Thank you!
by bleanceatsmachine
3 Comments
Another bike to look at is the newly remodeled Cannondale Topstone. Some of the models will have a kingpin rear suspension and some will have a lefty Oliver front suspension fork that will give you 30mm travel. It has large tire clearance and has mounts for bikepacking.
https://www.cannondale.com/en-us/bikes/road/gravel/topstone-carbon
There’s different price points. The topstone 2 axs has a 42 chain in the front and a 10-52 in the rear for a low gear ratio of 0.8 which is really good.
There are of course other brands like the Giant revolt which is a really nice gravel/ bikepacking bike. Lauf is a great bike but you’re right you probably want to try it out before purchasing.
Trek. Eeeeeew.
Between these two, I’d pick the Lauf, because they have totally sold me on their weird fork. I don’t even care if it works, at least it’s cool. I don’t race so I’m not really interested in what the mainstream is doing.
As an aside; Have you considered titanium frames? Used market has a bunch of stuff in your price range and there’s even some new bikes out there. You get lightweight, vibration dampening, and somewhat less delicate than carbon, which makes it a good material for bikepacking.
Litespeed, Bearclaw,… even decathlon makes a value bike in the $3k range that I’ve heard good things about. Might be worth a look in any case. Moots and Merlin if you’re a big spender.